gabe, good morning. gheitiers in the emergency staging area. what's the latest? >> reporter: today they are dealing with the aftermath of this massive explosion. crews are still going door to door searching for victims. the initial fire was bad enough. but then -- >> are you okay? >> i can't hear. >> cover your hearing. >> reporter: this terrifying video shows the explosion wednesday in the small town of west, texas, near waco. >> enough to take your breath away. >> reporter: the blast happened as firefighters worked to put out a blaze just before 8:00 p.m. >> it's a major, major explosion. the windows came in on me, the roof came in on me. the ceiling came in. i worked my way out to go get some more help. >> reporter: three to five firefighters are unaccounted for this morning. >> i was there. i walked through the blast area. i searched some houses earlier tonight.

massive, just like iraq, just like the mural murrah building in oklahoma city. >> reporter: authorities say 5 to 15 people were killed, more than 160 people were injured and as many as 75 homes were damaged. the five-block radius also destroyed a nursing home and 50 units at an apartment complex. >> this was unlike anything i've ever felt before. >> it smelled just nasty, that ammonia, it was fertilizer, you could smell that in the air and black smoke and just a horrible scene. >> reporter: the explosion so powerful that u.s. geological survey reports it was equal to a 2.1 magnitude earthquake. >> well, the buildings are gone, we need to get some search teams in here to get the people out. >> reporter: no word yet on what started the initial fire, but investigators are treating the area as a crime scene just in case. >> nothing at this point indicates that we have had criminal activity. however, we are absolutely not ruling that out.

>> reporter: the u.s. chemical >> reporter: local officials say there's no longer any public health concern from any of that smoke. officials say there's between 5 and 15 deaths. also three to five firefighters remain missing. one law enforcement official previously unaccounted for has been found. he is now in serious condition at a local hospital. back to you. >> gabe gutierrez in west, texas for us earlier this morning. earlier we spoke to derek hurt. he's the guy who reported the dramatic moment of the explosion. on the tape you can hear the panic in his daughter's voice as she screams, i can't hear, i can't hear. so i began by asking derek how everyone is doing this morning? >> good. her inner ear is a little sore,

but other than that, we do have our full hearing back. >> you were driving in the area, you saw the flames initially. during they were coming from that fertilizer plant? or did you think they were coming from something else? >> we thought maybe it was the high school. we drove over to check it out and saw that it was the fertilizer plant burning. we were going to shoot a little video of it and get out of there. we just didn't make it out in time. >> can you give me an idea how close you were to the building at the time it exploded? sometimes it's hard to tell when you're looking through the lens of a camera? a couple hundred yards? a half mile? what would you estimate? >> probably 200, 250, 300 yards. >> and describe the blast. it looks like the camera is completely knocked out of your hands. i understand you ended up kind of on top of chloe in the car.

describe the shockwave. >> i'm pretty sure it lifted the truck off the ground. it just blew me over on top of her. it all happened so quick. just things went black for a moment. >> did you get a chance to look at the area around the plant? we have reports and just heard from a gentleman in the neighborhood surrounding that plant that several blocks were leveled. did you get to see that firsthand? >> i did. >> what was it like? >> it was a pretty horrific scene, some of the injuries we saw. there was probably double-digit people standing in front of me videoing that was closer than i was. after the blast, they were nowhere to be seen. >> derek, it's a small town. do you know anyone who was working in that plant at the time? have you heard of anyone you know dying as a result of this explosion or being severely

injured? >> yes, i do know some of the casualties. i'm not aware of anybody working at the facility at that hour. that was our interview a little earlier this morning with derek hurt, who took that video of the explosion. savannah? officials are stressing this tragedy appears at the moment to be an accident. the atf is sending a team. james cavanaugh is a former special agent. >> good morning. >> this national response team, as i understand it is essentially the elite bomb team. what is that you are expertise, and what do you expect their role to be? >> they'll rum a bomb investigation, very similar to what you've seen in boston. they have agents that do the mine news fragments, the scene, the crater, the arson, and then the white collar commanders and

investigators and enter viewers. theme team up with the texas state fire marshal and department of public safety to do that. teal bring a investigation to bear to see what caused this explosion and killed these people. >> i imagine the primary concern is whether or not it was an intentional act. we stress against that the early assessments is that it appears to be an accident. how quickly might a team be able to ascertain something like that? >> it will take a number of days. >> it's a hot scene right now. literally it's got to be made safe, victims recovered and saved. sometimes things aren't what they appear. i would think this is an industrial accident most likely, but more than 20 years ago, in kansas city we had the same thing, an explosion that killed six firefighters. atf sent the same team in, this el did an investigation, it turned out to be arson that set

off the fire, and we convicted the people and sent them to federal prison. it's got to be sorted through. the key is how did the fire start. that's what they'll be trying to do. >> you mentioned boston, this very same type of team is in boosten. they've had the opportunity to look at fragments. we are talking about a massive explosion in texas, registering on the usgs survey as a 2.1. what is the forensic challenge? >> it's different, savannah, that's exactly right. they're going to walk it back, roll the tape tape, and the key is going to be was the fire attended and witnessed by anybody who survived? if they did, they can tell them it may have started in a mechanical room or compressor or fan and they can maybe determine how it started. if now, maybe they can through fragments and they're expert

investigators, be able to pick up fragments and tell how that fire started. >> former atf special agent from that area, james cavanaugh, one of the to get your expertise. thank you. >> thank you. we're also following breaking news. the boston marathon bombing investigation. this morning fbi agents are making significant progress. pete williams is nbc's just correspondent. pete. good morning. >> good morning, matt. the fbi is very eager to identify, find and talk to two young men who displayed the behavior they're looking for, someone who walks up to the spot, leaves a backpack away and walks away just before one of the bombs goes off. the fbi says it has pictures from several different sources showing the same thing happening at the spot where one of the bombs exploded.

the sequence of explosions, 13 seconds apart can be heard on this videotape of universal sports network technicians making final preparations to cover the end of the marathon event. a key image investigators say was captured by a surveillance camera with a bird's-eye view mounted high up across the street from the second bombing site. officials say it shows a young man talking on his cell phone who sets down what appears to be a heavy backpack and dashes away moments before the second bomb goes off. because he was on a cell phone, investigators are checking the logs of the hundreds of people using their phones in the moments before the bombing that might help identify who that person was. it's that second bombing spot seen in this picture sent to nbc boston station whdh showing a garbage bag next to a mailbox. while investigators can't be sure that bag contained a bomb, federal officials tell nbc news that is the spot where the second bomb went off. former atf bomb investigator jim cavanaugh says it's obvious. >> large injuries were on the side of it, debris field to the

left. some protected areas over on the right side that indicate the blast was to the one side of the trash receptacle. this was the scene of the blast. >> the fbi is considering publicly showing the pictures of the men they're looking for, and may do so later at a news conference today. >> pete, thank you very much. drenching rain overnight in chicago. al? >> there are states of emergency throughout much of northern illinois into central illinois, because of the flooding they've gotten, the dan ryan expressway. it's a real mess there. chicago o'hare airport picking up over 4 inches of rain in the last 3 hours. in fact, airport reporting the terminal has actually had water

on the floor. it's been flooding in there. still more heavy rain making its way through chicago today. it's going to continue to come down. we have flawed flood warnings much through missouri and illinois, and we're also looking for rainfall amounts anyway anyway to what they have picked up, another 3 to 5 inches from peoria to saginaw, michigan. more flooding to deal with over the next 12 to 24 hours. >> we promised a busy morning for news. a senate measure calling for expanded background checks in fact fail. kellie o'donnell has the latest. kelly, good morning. >> reporter: along with the failure of the background expansion. the president says these just round one.

surrounding the president in the rose garden, the first words about what comes next belonged to the father of a young boy taken in newtown. >> we will always be here because we have no other choice. we are not going away. >> reporter: gabby giffords says many senators chose powerful gun groups over their constituents. >> the gun lobby and its allies willfully lied about the bill. >> reporter: furious, president obama said the bill did not harm gun rights. >> this legislation met that test. and too many senators failed theirs. >> reporter: more anger erupted when a woman shouted at senators, shame on you. most republicans and four democrats from states with high gun ownership voted against expanding background checks. >> criminals do not submit to background checks now. they will not submit to expanded background checks. >> the way to stop violent crime is to stop violent criminals. >> reporter: the politics was about more than gun rights.

later today, a bipartisan group of senators will roll out immigration reform. democrat senator joe manchin who fought hard to get enough votes on background checks found that with two politically hard votes, some senators chose immigration over guns. >> if you're looking at it and trying to evaluate it, they're saying maybe immigration and maybe guns on top of that might be too much for me to go home and explain. >> reporter: and many of those senators who voted no, toe me they had hearty most from their constituents they didn't want to see changes to gun-related laws. the reality is the bill will probably stay on hold with no action. >> thank you, kelly. a suspect is in custody after allegedly mailing letters to the president and a senator that potentially contained the poison ricin. peter alexander following that

story at the white house with the latest. peter, good morning. >> good morning. that suspect was arrested at his home in mississippi wednesday evening. a celebrity impersonator, federal officials say, in his early 40s. the arrest in mississippi late wednesday rapidly concluded a day that left the nation's capital on edge. the fbi says the suspect paul kevin curtis sent three letters all of which preliminarily tested positive for the definitely poison ricin, produced from castor beans. one to president obama, another to mississippi republican senator roger wicker, and a third, local authorities said, to a mississippi justice official. >> there are great consistencies between the content, the letter itself, the way the letter was written, the postmark of the letter. >> reporter: the fbi says the letters to the president and senator were postmarked memphis, tennessee, ten days ago with identical language including the phrase,

to see a wrong and not expose it is to become a silent partner to its continuance. signed iak.c., i am k.c., and i approve this message. those were never delivered. intercepted by a precaution put in place after the anthrax attacks that killed five people shortly after 9/11. and federal officials say more tests are needed, natalie, to determine if, in fact, that substance was ricin, and if so, how strong. the fib also says these see no connection between this ricin-tainted scare and what's happening in boston. >> peter alexander at the white house for us this morning, thank you. it's now 7:18. back to al. you have the rest of the weather forecast? >> as we look at the western forecast, a gorgeous day. nice day in san francisco, partly sunny, 69. denver some clouds, still a little on the chilly side, 36 degrees.

phoenix 77, seattle you'll see showers and temperature of 53. the rest of the country you're going to look at a risk of a strong storms today from the mid-minneapolmi mid-mississippi valley. expect more snow anywhere from 6 to 9 inches of snow center minnesota to northern minnesota. and about 3 to 6 inches of snow back to the central plains. we'll get your local forecast in just a moment. you are today, a fidelity ira has a wide range of investment choices to help you fine-tune your personal economy. call today and we'll make it easy to move that old 401(k) to a fidelity no-fee ira.

thursday morning. meteorologist, christina loren, i want to start with your wind speeds which have significantly dropped off. it will not be windy. san jose, oakland, sunnyvale. overall, a nice warming trend today. temperatures jumping into the upper 70s, low 80s. 80 degrees for livermore. 77 in fremont. 77 degrees in san jose staying nice and warm through the extended period. we're following the latest on the deadly blast at the fertilizer plant in texas. danger facing some residents there. first, this is "today" on nbc.

president and mrs. obama arriving in boston to honor the victims of monday's deadly bombing.

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move the annual commemoration ceremony over to union square instead. the scene has been cleared. the man suspected of kidnapping and killing morgan hill teenager, sierra lamar, will not be in court after all. we have just learned and heard interest the santa clara county clerk. torres has waved his right to appear in court. he has yet to enter a plea to kidnapping and murder charges. lamar's body for the record has not yet been found. take a look at a big rig crash at the dublin interchange. this happened at about 5:00 on westbound interstate 580 at the off ramp to northbound i-60. this making the morning commute in a word brutal. a big-time headache. let's check in with mike inno he way. >> the road warriors are out there. look at the maps. this is the reason we are talking about the status. big rig cleared from lanes about 20 minutes ago. still, the cleanup continues.

we still have lanes blocked, west 580 until caltrans sweepers can get there to clean up from a spill as well as the rest of the debris. looks like closer to 8:00 until they can get there. we have that drag, a slow, slow crawl over toward 680. no good alternate. a smooth flow for 680 down through sunol. at 880, a crash through the interchange. nice sunshine out there. good thing is the wind has dropped off, mike. high-profile vehicle drivers, a much easier ride to, would. a little bit more glassy out on the bay. those winds will continue to relax as we head throughout the day. 41, gilroy. by noon today, temperatures climbing into the 60s and 70s. we'll round out the day in the low 80s in the warmest cities across the bay area. that warming trend continues well into this weekend. we will peak on monday at 90 degrees inland.

♪ o say can you see ♪ by the dawn's early light ♪ and the land of the free and the home of the brave ♪ >> we're back at 7:30. we're covering a lot of tragic

news this morning. but we thought we would take time for a moment of pure inspiration. that was the scene at boston garden last night. the bruins playing a home game, first major sporting event since monday's bombings. and as you could see, we had an individual starting the singing of the national anthem and the entire crowd jumped in in the middle and took over. and it was a city coming together under very difficult circumstances. i love that video. i really do. >> they needed that moment. >> yeah, when a community is hurting, what ties us together is often such a comfort and that was the case last night. we are, of course, continuing to stay up on all of the news that's breaking this morning, including a terrible scene in west, texas, where a fire at a fertilizer plant sparked that powerful explosion. that blast leveled homes and buildings for blocks and blocks. let's get to gabe gutierrez again. he has the latest on this. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. crews are still going door to

door searching for potential victims. the fire is still smolders. just a short while ago we learned that 3 to 5 firefighters are unaccounted for, but one police officer previously reported missing has been found. he's in the hospital in serious condition. as for the number of dead at this point, local officials are still being very cautious. they stress this is an early estimate, but right now they believe between 5 and 15 people have died. again they say that number could rise. more than 160 people have been treated at local hospitals. anywhere from 50 to 80 buildings have been damaged, a nursing home and complex have been destroyed. people have been shaken. this happened just before 8:00 this morning as firefighters were battling the fire, and right now they're trying to figure out why this happened. so far no word from officials on why this happened.

savannah, back to you. >> gabe gheitiers at the scene, thank you so much. we should mention, by the way, this came close to what happened in waco. but authorities are believing so far this has nothing to do with this. let's turn to crystal and jill. jill is a trauma nurse -- >> i can't hurt. >> they said good morning. >> i gather that one of you can't hear me, if you could just translate, and we'll try to fix our technical problems. >> okay. your home is close to the plant, what did you experience? >> yes, ma'am. my house is about 15 blocks away from the fertilizer plant. and we saw the fire. you heard the emt trucks as they drove by with west being a small town, you always want to see what's going on.

within five minutes, the fire was completely out of control. i could see the first response team as they had their trucks, you know, kind of half-mooned around the fire. i turned around and walked back to my house and was going to get my kids in the car and get out of there trying to prevent from being around when the explosion happened. and about the time i got this far, you could hear the boom and within seconds it just sucked you in and threw you on the ground. i was able to get my oldest daughter jaylee was covered. and i was able to grab my youngest kylee, and we dove to the front door. >> and are you all right, crystal? did you or any of your family members suffer any injuries? >> no, luckily everybody in my family is safe. we were able to get the girls to my mom's who lives a couple miles out of town.

we came back in trying to help some of our local neighbors and maybe get back to the house, but we were not successful in doing so. >> jill, i hope you can hear me now. as i understand it, you are a nurse and you raced to the scene to try to provide some aid. what did you encounter in terms of injuries? >> when i got on the scene, it was approximately two minutes after the explosion. it actually looked like 9/11, what you saw on tv with 9/11. there were people laying in their yards having been blown out of their homes. the nursing home looked like it'd been blown out. the west apartment, the structure was there, the apartments were just blown out. people were coming out bloody and injured. lots of lacerations, a few it looked like head

injuries, things like that. we had a lot of help. we have a lot of great nurses here in west. and emergency personnel, and they were there on the scene and helping. >> well, what an evening for the both of you. we're so glad to see that you are okay and we know that you'll be continuing to help in the following days. ladies, thank you so much for being with us. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> and now here's matt. nbc's tom costello in washington this morning. he's taking a look at the dangers that these kind of fertilizer plants may pose. tom, good morning to you. >> matt, good morning. some of the witnesses have said that it sounded like and felt like a bomb that went off in the murrah building in oklahoma city back in 1995, and remember, that was, of course, a fertilizer based bomb. not saying this was a bomb, but this was a fertilizer plant. these are very difficult fires to fight. i've talked to veteran fire commanders this morning saying fires involving ammonium nitrate are volatile and unpredictable.

this explosion that occurred was after firefighters were working on them, has been said to rain embers and shrapnel and debris down on to them. the firefighters' bible to responding to a chemical fire of any sort is the emergency responders guide. and it says if the ammonium nitrate fire is in a tanker, a like a rail tanker, a radius of 1/2 mile should be evacuated and firefighters should flood it with water from a distance and hose positions should be unmanned. what we don't know this morning is what other chemicals might have been involved once that fire seemed to spread from one building to another and how those buildings would -- and how those chemicals would react to the water. foam is generally used in petroleum type of fires. the goal was to put a layer of foam on top of that and then prevent the vapors from igniting. that's not what happened here. we don't believe. by the way, the osha guide for dealing with ammonium fires warrants that containers of ammonia could explode and the heat and fire and firefighters

should cool the containers from the sides with water. a lot of talk about whether firefighters did the right thing. we simply don't know. >> let me interrupt for a second. i'm looking at a report from the dallasnews.com, from the "dallas morning news" and talks about the fact there were 54,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia on site here, that's according to a filing with the company. and it says emergency responders should not mix water used for firefighting directly with anhydrous ammonia as this will result in warming the product causing the liquid to turn into a vapor cloud. should they use water or not use water? >> and i will tell you that the veteran fire commanders i've talked to this morning can only speak about ammonium nitrate as it relates to anhydrous ammonia, that's not particularly clear this morning. we are told this is a volunteer fire department that responded to this call. they in many cases can be just as well trained as paid teams and paid firefighters.

but we don't know specifically what their training was and instructions were for dealing with this kind of fire. >> and i'm sure we're going to be hearing more from that fire department throughout the day. tom costello in washington, thank you very much. >> we want to turn to al roker again. weather could be a factor in terms of what happens today in this town. >> absolutely. as you saw in gabe gutierrez' shot, it's raining already. and that's just beginning. let's show you what's going on there. winds are starting to shift. they had been out of the south, they are now as you look live, you can see the rain in the lights there in west, texas. and that rain's just going to get heavier and the winds will pick up. in fact, as you look at the radar, there's a pretty good squall s line pushing through, there's another big area of rain just to the west of west, texas, as we zoom in, you'll see we are looking at more heavy rain, they're going to pick up 1 to 2 inches of rain out of all of this. and as it pushes through, we do look to see up to the north of that, chicago, also under the gun for a lot of heavy rain. there are flash flood warnings in effect for much of

metropolitan chicago, dupage county, cook county, as well. rainfall amounts anywhere from 3 to 5 inches from peoria to saginaw, michigan. so we're going to be watching that. and behind this, much colder air, and we're talking about snow. that's right. snow on the backside of this system, parts of northern minnesota on into parts of upper michigan where we'll see anywhere from 6 to 9 inches in the next 24 hours. that's what's going on around good thursday morning. i'm meteorologist, christina loren, taking a live look at the golden gate bridge where you can see we have clear conditions. our camera here holding steady. the winds have significantly dropped off. we're headed towards a warmer afternoon. you will notice a difference. 80 degrees in livermore, 81, gilroy. 77. along the east shore in fremont. that goes for san jose and 71 degrees on the way to san francisco. comfortable beach weather for the next few days. it is going to be uncomfortable by monday in the 90s.

we will drop off a touch for tuesday into wednesday. 's your latest weather. matt? >> al, thank you very much. up next, president obama's trip to boston to honor the victims of monday's boston marathon bombing and his angry reaction to the senate's defeat of new gun control laws. but first, these messages. ♪ ♪ [ girl giggles ] [ male announcer ] now's the time to keep your lawn green, get stagreen weed and feed for just $13 at lowe's today.

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we're expecting to see the president and the first lady any moment form the service here is called healing our city. this cathedral seats about 2,000 people. most everyone has taken their place. half the seats have been reserved for the general public. people were lining up early this morning. ten blocks longs. the other half reserved for dignitaries, including mitt romney, along with other former governors and dignitaries, and first responders. the president we're told likely after the service will have time to visit with some of the injured as well as families. whether that takes place here or whether he makes a visit to one of the hospitals is a little unclear. not unlike what the president did just four months ago in sandy hook, where he is extending his condolences, and offering his words of comfort to a grieving and very shocked city. there are people who are lined

along the streets here, waiting to get a glimpse of the president. there's also a nearby gymnasium with an overflow crowd. the whole service will also be on tvs outside city hall. for now, we'll send it back to you. >> thank you, lester. let's bring in chuck todd. right now, nbc's chief white house correspondent and political director. there's an awful lot on the president's plate right now. he and the first lady heading to boston for that interfaith service today. we've got the letters that have tested positive for ricin and the reaction to gun control. let's start with the trip to boston. >> right. this is something, and obviously on one hand, there's a little bit of a frustration, or there had been about they didn't have any good leads on the investigation. now they're starting to feel pretty good as if they're on to something. they feel pretty good about where the investigation is headed. and so today, it's -- you know, when you first heard the president speak about boston,

there was this sort of sense of almost of a stiff spine, realizing before we were trying to figure out who was behind this. was this an international terrorist attack? was it domestic? what was it? now i think you're going to see him playing the role of what lester was talking about where he's got to be comforting the families and comforting the wounded. >> and chuck, we want to play a piece of the president's reaction after his gun legislation went down to defeat in the senate yesterday. take a listen. >> if action by congress could have saved one person, one child, a few hundred, a few thousand, if it could have prevented those people from losing their lives to gun violence in the future, while preserving our second amendment rights, we had an obligation to try. and this legislation met that test. and too many senators failed theirs. >> chuck, what we see there appears to be very genuine anger. but was there genuine surprise at this result at the white

house? >> well, there was only surprise when they lost. they knew this was an uphill battle. they knew they probably weren't going to get anything on the president's desk for him to sign. but in the last week when you had this unlikely combination of conservative democrat joe manchin, conservative republican pat toomey of pennsylvania coming together with what looked like the type of compromise that normally does get huge bipartisan support and it didn't happen, it was sort of that's where the white house is shellshocked. i can tell you, he was genuinely angry, and i think the anger has to do with the fact that it was just he didn't see -- he didn't think they would reject this. he knew that the house, they probably weren't going to get it. and remember, in the state of the union, all he wanted was a vote. well, he got it. they just didn't think they were going to lose. >> he called out a lot of people. called out the senate, the nra and then called on the american people to express their displeasure with their votes.

>> and he called them liars. >> yeah, exactly. he called the nra liars. >> he called the nra liars, i >> it was really angry. >> he called the nra liars, i would also say he called out the american people and said you have to sustain passion on this if you want to see change. chuck, with the headlines in washington, thank you very much. >> thanks, chuck. we want to mention, nbc news will have special coverage of that interfaith prayer service that the president and first lady are expected to attend. we'll have that later this morning. and we'll be back right after this. with points from shop your way, there are more ways to save than ever at sears. oh and this bracelet... i used points to get it for free. yeah, right. and i'm married to lorenzo lamas. hola. this is how to save. this is sears.

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coming up, we'll go back to texas for a live update on the explosion there at a fertilizer plant. but first your local news.

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because it helps to strengthen the enamel. he recommended that i use it every time i brush. you feel like there is something that you're doing to help safeguard against the acid erosion. and i believe it's doing a good job. 7:56. good morning, everybody. i'm jon kelley. the attorney for the family of 15-year-old audrie pot speaking out. the los gatos-saratoga high school district releasing a statement. they could not be expelled because the alleged assault did not take place on school grounds. late last night, the pott family attorney responding, arguing at least one of the photos was distributed at school to

intentionally har r intentional intentionally harass audrie. they are denying it was reported. that is greatly upsetting. the reaction is one of disgust and display. a really nice day. starting with a live, clear shot over san jose. beautiful day shaping up here. a little hazy, overall, good air quality and temperatures. that makes us the envy of the nation when it comes to the 70s. santa teresa, fremont, san jose, low 80s in gilroy and fairfield. offshore flow will bring about the 70s. 71, 72 in santa cruz. it is going to get hot really quickly. up to 90 degrees by monday. fremont for south 880. more congestion. it is just building for that portion. more crowded on the 680. let me show you why. the maps show you the dublin interchange getting more congestion coming off of the

left side of your screen. heading westbound. all lanes are clear now. the sig alert has been canceled. caltrans has that picked up pretty quickly. 84 jammed up. it is a just a slow morning all morning from 205 over toward 680. more crowds through sunol as a result of them being unleashed. slow 880. now, slow across the dumbarton bridge as well. there is a stall.

had good morning everyone. i'm savannah guthrie. we are covering two play juror an interfaith prayer service for president obama has made his way

there along with the first lady. the president is expected to speak. former massachusetts governor mitt romney also in attendance. a host of dignitaries, those from washington who represent this area. and we intend to bring you this service live when it begins. at the same time, we are also following the scene that is unfolding in the town of west, texas this morning. an explosion at a fertilizer plant caused massive damage. the police putting the death toll at 5 to 15 right now. this could rise. more than 160 others were injured. a blast so powerful it registered the same as a 2.1 earthquake. we'll turn to boston where the president has arrived. as i understand it, the president on air force one placed a call to texas governor rick perry. and now he takes a turn to confront another national tragedy. >> reporter: he does indeed. there is a massive blanket of

security that's already been in this city, and certainly around the cathedral right now. bomb dogs have worked along the edge of the crowd here. thousands have lined the streets, thousands lined up trying to get into the cathedral. it is open to the public. they reserved half of the seats to members of the general public. but they were told no sharp objects, no liquids, no bags. the security elevated because of what's happened in this city. this is of course being broadcast around the city. they've got closed-circuit cameras at city hall. former governors who will be here. a lot of dignitaries, but this is a chance for the general public to come together and comfort each other. >> and as we prepare to bring you the service, the president is expected to meet with survivors of the boston attacks as well as first responders and families of those killed. we want to bring you the service now.

this is aent faith service. many churches will be represented. >> as one. this is what is demanded of us. and this is who we are. god is here in our resilience. the grit that gets us back up again. and nothing taken will be forgotten or lost in vain. this is how god works. good morning. i am reverend liz walker from rocks bury presbyterian church and i welcome you as we gather in community to help heal our beloved city and this violence weary world.

let us pray. creator god, in the beginning, you said let there be light. and the light shown, piercing the darkness. help us find our way through the darkness now. you taught us that we belong to each other. help us hold each other now. we pray comfort for those who have lost loved ones. courage for those who are struggling through the trauma of physical and psychic pain and tenderness for those for whom the world no longer makes sense. world, bless this broken haerlted city as she finds her balance, dust herself off and tilts her head back towards the sky. open our eyes to your presence this morning.

open our hearts to your grace. restore us so that we can see and be the light once again. in all that we holdle holy, for me, that is jesus christ. let the people of god together say amen. >> amen.3 c1 >> i have the high honor and privilege of representing the greek orthodox community of boston and new england at this interfaith service of healing.

this past monday a day rich with symbolism, a horrific act of terrorism wounded the heart and our city and our nation. thousands from throughout the world were in boston as participants and spectators of the marathon, which, as we all know, recalls the ancient city of athens to announce the victory of the forces of an empire that devalued freedom, human dignity and democracy. the boston marathon always coincides with patriots' day, when we commemorate the battles of lexington and concord, the first of the american revolution. sadly, it was on patriots' day, when we celebrate the values of

freedom and democracy and the fiercely independent spirit of america, it was on that day that evil reared its ugly head once again and countless innocent men, women, and children fell victims to a senseless and unspeakable act of brutality. but we know that bombs of terrorism may kill and injure, but they cannot crush the american spirit. today we thank cardinal o'malley from opening the embrals of his cathedral to all of us, to president obama, to governor patrick, to mayor meninmenino, l who are in public service, to the religionous leaders of the

common welt, to every one regardless of creed, we gather as a community, as brothers and sisters in the household of god to bow our heads in solemn prayer for the repose of the souls of three innocent victims whose lives were violently taken, and for the countless victims who will bear painful wounds for the rest of their lives. we come today to thank god for the police and firefighters, the national guard, for the doctors and nurses, for all who responded selflessly and cu courageously. we pray that our gracious, mersful god the healer of our souls and bodies watch over us

and comfort us in our hour of pain. and may he who is the prince of peace bring peace to our souls and to our community. and may almighty god bless america.3 c3 bendición. mayor thomas menino, long time mayor of the city of boston, someone who had just suffered a severe broken leg and was actually in the hospital just weekend and before these bombings took place is making his way to the podium. he's one of several dignitaries we expect to hear from this morning as well as president

obama who is in the front row. we'll hear from massachusetts governor, deval patrick and many others of the safe community in boston, a town that has been hit right in the heart in every sense of the phrase by this terrible attack. mayor tom menino. morning. it is a good morning. because we are together. we are one boston. no adversity, no challenge, nothing can tear down the resilience of the heart of the city and its people. it is written that hatred stirs

up strife, but love covers all sins. as the clock struck that fate full hour, love has covered this resilient city. i have never loved it and its people more than i do today. we have never loved it more than we do today. we love the brave ones who felt the blast and still raced through the smoke, with ringing in their ears, they came to the ground to answer cries of those in need. this was the courage of our city at work. we love the fathers and brothers who took shirts off their backs to stop the bleeding.

the mothers and the sisters who cared for the injured. the neighbors and the business owners, the homeowners all across the city, they opened their doors and their hearts to the weary and the scared. they said what's mine is yours. we'll get through this together. this was the compassion of the city at work. we never loved the heroes that wear the uniforms more than we do at this hour. boston's finest in their blue. they carried kids to safety and calmed a city in crisis. the emts performed miracles in an instant. the firefighters answered the call. we love the national guard and our service members who brought valor to our streets.

the volunteers in the va jackets and vests to the doctors and nurses who waited in scrubs to help victims of the grave injured arrived. this was the strength of our city at work. we have never loved the people of the world in our great country more for their prayers and wishes. and yes, we even love new york city more. sweet caroline, playing at yankee stadium, the flag in lower manhattan. it brings me more strength to say prayer after praer for the

victims still recovering in the hospitals, at home. gives us strength to say good-bye to the young boy with the big heart, martin richard, to pray for his sister and his mom, his brother and his dad. it helps us to say that we'll miss crystkrystle campbell that brought her to the marathon year after year. it helps us to mourn lingzi lou who came to the city in search of education and found new friends. never forget her. i'm telling you, nothing can defeat the heart of the city. nothing. nothing will take us down cause we take care of one another. even with the smell of the smoke

in the air and blood on the streets, tears in our eyes, we try iumphed over that hateful a on monday afternoon. it's a glorious thing, the love and the strength that covers our city. it will push us forward, thousands and thousands and thousands of people across the finish line next year. because this is boston. a city with courage, compassion, strength that knows no bounds. thank you. [ applause ] boston's long time mayor thomas menino delivering an empassioned address saying that he had never loved this city more and its people than he does today. so speaking of loving the brave

ones who rushed though those in need. he said nothing in any way can defeat the heart of this city. as we watch this interfaith service on boston's south side, expecting remarks from the president aamong others at the faith community. and as we watch this, 58 people still in the hospital dealing with injuries from this attack. more than 170 injured in total and three people killed. we will listen in as the hymn is played. my life flows on in endless song. ♪ 3 c3

(♪). ♪ ♪ 3 c3 (♪). ♪ 3 c3 (♪).

♪ 3 c3 (♪) ♪ located at the finish line of the boston marathon, old south church in boston has developed over the years a men industry to marathoners. and i'm here to tell you that they are a special, very special breed. they are built of sturdy stuff. as we do every year on marathon sunday, the day before the mara does worship. and they come in the hundreds. and during the service, we ask them to stand.

and we raise a forest of arms in blessing over them. and in the words of the prophet isaiah, we super charge them, saying may you run and not grow weary. may you walk and not faint. this year, in the midst of it all, in the midst of a joy filled, peace filled international competition, unlike any other explosions, chaos, terror. and from the church's tower this is what i saw that day. i saw people run toward -- not away from -- toward the explosion, toward the chaos, the mayhem. toward the danger. making of their own bodies, sacraments of mercy. and in the minutes and the hours

that followed, i saw with my own eyes, good samaritans taking off their coats and their shirts, wrapping them around athletes who were shivering, quaking with cold and whose limbs were stiffening. good samaritans who fed, clothed and sheltered runners and families, assisted families, shared their cell phones, opened homes and stores and not least guided strangers through boston's cow paths. today had from our tower overlooking the finish line, we continue to fly our three marathon banners. today we fly them, first, in memory of those whose lives were taken that day. and second, we fly them with

prayers for those who were harmed and those who grieved. for there is still much, much pain in the world today. we are very far from being healed. and we fly them also in thanksgiving for first responders who made of their own bodies sacraments of blessing. here's what i know today. we are shaken, but we are not forsaken. another's hate will not make of us haters. another's cruelty will only redouble our mercy. amen? >> amen. that was the reverend nancy taylor. senior minister of the old south

church in boston. and now we have rabbi freedman to the pulpit. president and mrs. obama, governor and mrs. menino, all of us in this space and well beyond are grateful for your constant and inspired leadership, your compassionate presence is a signal of the triumph of order over chaos. of love over hatred. the gifted columnist anna quinns land wrote grief remains one of the few things that has the power to silence us. it is a whisper in the world and a clammer within. the landscaped of all our lives become as full of craters as the surface of the moon. we would wish our prayers this

morning to hold not only this city and its souls, in our embrace, but to extend our reach to kindred spirits in newtown and now, sadly, in west, texas. our message to them is that our arms are wide fluff to hold you in our hearts as well. the ha siddic sage once said, the entire world is a narrow bridge, but the important principal is not the important principal is to transcend somehow your fear. as we share our grief with those who have lost life or limb, and for the constellations of families and friends who surround them, we turn to these

words taken from psalm 147, verse 3. god, healer of the brokenhearted and binder of their wounds, in consolation to those who mourn and healing to all those who suffer loss and pain. empower them with strength and courage and restore to them and to all of us who grieve with them a sense of life's goodness and purpose. fill their hearts and ours with reverence and with love, that we might turn to you again with hearts restored to wholeness, hands committed to the

recreation of well-being and peace. in the name of god, the most compassionate and most mer see full. we're gathered together to mourn the loss of life in a criminal hay tack in hour community. what happened on monday has shocked and horrified us. but it has also brought us together. i come before you to share the message of my community's scripture. i want to cite a passage that i studied when i was 7 years old.

i was living at the time in damascus area. one afternoon while walking back home from school, i experienced a terror of a car bomb that exploded on my route. i will never forget the sound of the blast. the confused rush of humanity and the anger and the fear these feelings returned on monday. what gave me comfort at that time is something that may bring comfort to all of us today. it is a line from the muslim holy scripture. the passage declares that it is inspired by the jewish tradition. by decree to the children of israel that whoever kills the soul, it is as if he killed man kind entirely. and whoever saves a life, it is as if he saved all of man kind. on boston streets monday

afternoon, next to a great public library that bears among many names that the move et mohammed peace be upon him we saw lives murdered but also lives savered. one week ago i was at another ceremony here in boston. i stood with 400 other people before a bust of frederick douglass and john adams who came from 77 different countries and all kinds of religious backgrounds, i the lowly i am grant raised my hand and took with them our oath of citizenship. those of you who are born americans may not be aware of what naturalized citizens pledge upon officially join being the nation of the united states of america. i was profoundly struck by the words we recited. we pledged to defend the constitution and the laws of the united states of america against

all enemies, foreign and domestic. and we pledged to perform work of national importance under civilian direction when we choired by law. when i recited this pledge last woke, i could not imagine that work of national importance by civilians would be required here in boston so soon. but now all of us need to take up this pledge. we all have service to perform, and indeed, we are all moved by the thousands of people who stepped forward in a moment of tragedy and confusion to serve. i want to salute everyone who rans toward the victims despite risk to themselves. everyone who gave blood, everyone who volunteered shelter for stranded runners, i want to salute the members of law enforcement who are protecting us as we speak.

and to thank the people around the world who are sending messages of hope and solidarity. before us all the civilian work of national and even international interest. no one has to take a formal oath. we know instinctively that we must rise to the occasion and act. that is what makes husband americans. one nation under god. and now a prayer. dear god, oh, compass nat one. oh, merciful one. grant the surviving family members the strength to face their loss. heal the wounds of those hurt last monday and heal the wounds of all bostonians who are hurting.

united by faith in something greater than ourselves, we people of boston with your bresing dedicate ourselves to the great task before us, to heal, to rebuild, and to serve once again as a shining city on the hill. good morning. this is the words of psalm 125, verse 3 have a particular resonance. for the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous. so that the righteous may not stretch out their hands to do wrong. as we have confirmed so graphically this week,

wickedness does exist in this world. but we are reminded by scripture that god has put a hedge of limitation around it. it may manifest itself for a moment, but then it has to relinquish the field to a higher, nobler power who is in ultimate control. this is why we come together on a time like this as people of faith, to go beyond the immediate dimension of terror, death and loss and to elevate our eyes to that sacred sphere to place this terrible tragedy in higher context in a pribrigh light that can redeem it with elements of hope, love and unit. if we cannot gravitate to that

dimension where infinite good sits on his thrown, at this very moment, gazing lovingly upon this city, grieving for and with us and those who have literally lost life or limb, then perhaps evil would have achieved the victory that it sought so fruitlessly on patriots' day. but we are people of faith. we believe in a benevolent god who holds a steady hand over history. even as he allows hatred and fa nat sichl to have its moment, it's also dough chaired time and time again through the many voices of millennial faith that in the end goodness will always prevail, that yes, weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning. events such as the one that fwralsed us on that bright

monday afternone just a couple of days ago remind us that we inhabl a mysterious world where a loving, sovereign god sometimes allows a flash of dark energy to penetrate our domain but only to innoble us and to extract from us an even greater measure of good and generosity. the dilemma of evil is that even as it carries out its dark, sinister work, it always ends up strengthening good and evoking even more strongly, the very light that it so desperately tries to extinguish. we have all been inspired by the images and anecdotes of heroism and plain goodness that have already emerged from the first few hours of this unspeakable

tragedy. this was a fix shun that has released much good. in our weakness we have been made strong. in our suffering we have been inspired to pray for others. in our woundedness we have extended consolation. in our diversity we have been united. in our perplexity we have been led again to run to god and that to remember no matter how strong, fast or successful we may be, we are ultimately children of eternity, able to find a true hope and solace only in the bosom of our father, in the realm of prayer and spiritual humility. in that paradox of weakness that we have entered into, we can

become more gracious and more powerful, better channels for the fwras of god to entesch into this broken world. this is a small immediate comfort, of course, to those who lie right now in a hospital bed contemplating a life that has been irrev cably changed or who grieve a lost or wounded loved one. we do pray however, that they may also receive the grace to look beyond this moment of suffering. and to believe that their life is far from over. that they can rise beyond their pain and their loss to become spiritually stronger and more agile. that they can find life in the new normal that they now inhabit. may they never allow bitterness or hatred to linger more than a brief moment in their soul. may they receive that peace that passes all understanding.

may they be able to translate into their own spiritual language their reassuring words of the apostle paul, who shall separate us fromhe love of christ? shall tribulation? or distress? or persecution? or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? as it is written for your sake we are killed all day long. we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. yet, in all these things, we are more than conquerers through him who loved us. god's love will yet have the last word. god has not forsaken boston. god has not forsaken our nation. he merely weaves a beautiful, bright tapestry of goodness that

includes a few dark strands., w sacred space today to continue that noble narrative of patriotism, self sacrifice and simple striving that was only briefly interrupted by impotent evil but now continues differencer, richer and more point antthan ever. god bless us all, amen. ♪ ♪ i went up to the mountain

♪ because you asked me to ♪ up over the clouds ♪ to where the sky was blue ♪ i can see all around me ♪ everywhere ♪ i can see all around me ♪ everywhere

♪ 3 c3 (♪). ♪ 3 c3 (♪). ♪

♪ 3 c3 (♪). ♪ 3 f2 (♪) ♪ 3 f2

(♪). ♪ the boston children's chorus singing this morning. there's president obama as well as the first laid he among the dignitaries. to our courageous president, to our compassionate governor, to our mighty mayor, to all of you, matthew chapter 5. now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountain side and sat down.

his dissign. s came to him and he began to teach them saying blessed are the poor in spirit. for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. they will be filled. blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see god. blessed are the peace makers,

for they will be called children of god. blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness. for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven. for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you, beloved, i believe jesus taught that to perceive the kingdom of heaven you must see

the opposite. when you seela lost, see reward when you hear a cry of pain, hear a prayer. when you see sacrifice, see a sacred offering. and to those of you who have suffered, in any type of suffering, wherever you might be, the lord is saying to you, never lose sight of your future. you who mourn, you will be comforted. you who are broken, you will be healed. you who have suffered loss, you will be rewarded. the massachusetts license plate says the spirit of america. and i pray the world right now,

today, at this moment, will look at us and see the true spirit of america.3 c1 my dear brothers and sisters, dear friends, on behalf of our catholic community, i wish to welcome all of you here to the cathedral of the holy cross. it's an honor to have our president, our governor, and our mayor here with us this morning. we're so grateful to governor patrick for initiating this ecumenical prayer service. we're delighted that metropolitan authorities and reverend liz walker and all of

the leaders from the various churches and faith communities could join us today. our holy father, pope francis asked me to communicate to you his sentiments of love and support. the holy father invokes peace upon our dead, consolation upon the suffering and god's strength upon all those engaged in the continuing work of relief and response. the holy father prays that we will be united in the resolve not to be overcome by evil but to combat evil with good, working together to build an ever more just, free and secure society for generations to come. this year's patriots' day celebrations were marred by an act of senseless violence that's caused all of us great shock and pain. it is made us relive the horror

of september the 11th. and it's a stark reminder of the darkness that can lurk in the human heart and produce such evil. and yet, the same tragedy has brought us together as a community like nothing else ever could. the generous and courageous response of so many assures us that there residetracks in people's hearts a goodness that is incredibly selfless. we saw that when summoned by great events we can be remarkably committed to the well-being of others, even total strangers. we become a stronger people, a more courageous people, a more noble people, the police, emergency workers and even bystanders and passerbies, did not hesitate to put themselves in harm's way to help the injured and the frightened. our presence here today is an

act of solidarity, first of all with those who lost their lives. and we're so happy that crystal campbell's family is here in the cathedral with us. we also in solidarity with those injured in the explosion and wish to express our desire to support them and their families and loved ones. this patriots' day shakes us out of our complacency and calls us to build upon the task of civillation based upon love. we do not want to -- we must overcome the culture of death by promoting a culture of life. a profound respect for each and every human being made in the image and likeness of god. and we must cultivate a desire

to give our lives in the service of others. last woke i was in galilee on the mount of the beatitudes with 30 priests from boston on retreat. there we prayed and listened to the very gospel that was read for us here this morning. the sermon on the mount is a description of the life of the people gathered by and around the lord. often in the gospels, we can see the contrast between the crowd and the community. the crowd is made up of self absorbed individuals, each one focused on his or her own interests in competition with the conflicting projects of others. a community is where people come to value each other. to find their own identity in being part of something bigger than themselves. working together for the common good.

the sermon on the mount in man owe ways is the constitution of the people called to live a new life. jesus gives us a new way to deal with offenses by reconciliation. jesus gives us a new way to deal with violence by nonviolence. he gives us a new way to deal with money by sharing and providing for those in need. jesus gives us a new way of dealing with leadership by drawing upon the gifts of every person, each one a child of god. in the face of the present tragedy, we must ask ourselves what kind of ha community do we want to be? what are the ideals that we want to pass on to the next generation? it cannot be violence, hatred and fear. the jewish people speak of repairing the world.

god has entrusted us with precisely that task, to prepare, repair our broken world. we cannot do it as a collection of individuals. we can only do it together as a community, as a family. like every tragedy, monday's events are a challenge and an opportunity for us to work together had with a renewed spirit of determination and solidarity and with the firm conviction that love is stronger than death. may ours be the sentiments of st. francis of assisi who prayed lord, make me an instrument of your peace. where there is hatred, let me so love. where there is injury, pardon. where there is doubt, faith. where there is despair, hope. where there is darkness, light. where there is sadness, joy. oh, divine master, grant that i

may not so much seek to be consoled as to console. to be understood as to understand. to be loved as to love. for it is in giving that we receive. it is in pardoning that we are pardoned. and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. amen. 3 f2

revivimos a la vida eterna, amo ♪ it is in pardoning that we are ♪

♪ 3 f2 (♪) pardoned. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ 3 c1 in my faith tradition, scripture teachers, in everything, give thanks. that isn't always easy to do. on monday afternoon, i was not feeling it. what i felt what so many of us felt then was shock and

confusion and anger. but the nature of faith, i think, is learning to return to the lessons, even when they don't make sense, when they defy logic. and as i returned to those lessons this week, i found a few things to be thankful for. i'm thankful for the firefighters and police officers and emts who ran toward the blast, not knowing whether the attack was over. and the volunteers and other civilians who ran to help right alongside them. i'm thankful for the medical professionals, from the doctors and trauma nurses to the housekeeping staff, to the surgeon who finished the marathon and kept on running to his operating room, all of whom performed at their very best. i'm thank flg for the agents

from the fbi and atf and boston pd, from the national guard and all other personnel who both restored order and started the methodical work of piecing together what happened and who's responsible. i'm thankful for mayor menino who started monday morning [ applause ] mayor menino started monday morning frustrated he couldn't be at the finish line this time as he always is and then late afternoon, late that afternoon checked himself out of the hospital to help this city, our city, face down this tragedy. i'm thankful for those who have given blood to the hospitals, money to the one fund and prayers and messages of consolation and encouragement from all over the world.

i'm thankful for the presence and steadfast support of the president and first lady. our many former governors who were here [ applause ] thank you. i'm thankful for the other civic and political leaders who are here today and for the many, many faith leaders who have ministered to us today and in the days since monday. i'm thankful for the lives of krystle and lingzi and for little martin and for the lives of all of the people hurt but who still woke up today with the hope of tomorrow. and i am thankful, maybe most especially, for the countless numbers of people in this proud

city and this storied commonwealth who in the aftermath of such senseless violence let their first instinct be kindness. in a dark hour, so many of you showed so many of us that darkness cannot drive out darkness as dr. king said. only light can do that. a very strange that the cowardis unleashed on us should come on marathon day, on patriots' day a day that marks the end of our long winter hibernation and the first day of the american revolution. and just as we are taught at times like this not to lose touch with our spiritual faith, let us also not lose touch with our civic faith.

massachusetts invented america. and america -- [ applause ] america is not organized the way countries are usually organized. we're not organized around a common language or religion or even culture. we're organized around a handful of civic ideals. and we have defined those ideals over time and through struggle as equality, opportunity, freedom and fair play. an attack on our civic ritual, like the marathon, especially on patrio patriots' day is an attack on those values. and just as we cannot permit darkness and hate to triumph over our spiritual faith, so we must not permit darkness and

hate to triumph over our civic faith. that cannot happen. and it will not. [ applause ] and so, so we will recover and repair. we will grieve our losses and heal. we will rise, and we will endure. we will have accountability without vengeance. vigilance without fear. and we will remember, i hope and pray, long after the buzz of boylston street is back and the media has turned it's attention elsewhere, that the grace this tragedy exposed is the best of who we are. fellow citizens, i am honored

[ applause ] i am honored and humbled to welcome our friend, our leader, our commander in chief, the president of the united states. [ applause ]3 f2 por favor. thank you. hello, boston. scripture tells us to one with

endurance the race that is set before us. run with endurance the race that is set before us. on monday morning, the sun rose over boston. sunlight glistened off the state house dome. and the common and the public garden. spring was in bloom. on this patriots' day, like so many before, fans jumped onto the t to see the sox at fenway. runners laced up their shoes and set out on a 26.2 mile test of dedication and grit and the

human spirit. and across this city, hundreds of thousands of bostonians lined the streets. to hand the runners cups of water and to cheer them on. it was a beautiful day to be in boston. a day that explains why a poet once wrote that this town is not just a capital, not just a place, boston, he said, is the perfect state of grace. [ applause ] and then in an instant, the day's beauty was shattered.

a celebration became a tragedy. so we come together to pray and mourn and measure our loss. but we also come together today to reclaim that state of grace. to reaffirm that the spirit of this city is undauntsed. the spirit of this country shall remain. to governor patrick, mayor menino, cardinal o'malley and all the faith leaders who are here, governors romney, due kau kiss, members of congress and most of all people of boston and the families who've lost a piece

of your heart, we thank you for your leadership. we thank you for your courage. we thank you for your grace. i'm here today on behalf of the american people with a simple message. every one of us has been touched by this attack on your beloved city. every one of us stands with you. because after all, it's our beloved city too. boston may be your hometown, but we claim it too. it's one of america's icon eck cities. it's one of the world's great cities. and one of the reason the world knows boston so well is that

boston opens its heart to the world. over successive generations, you've welcomed, again, and again, new arrivals to our shores. immigrants who constantly reinvigorated this city and this commonwealth and our nation. every fall, you welcome students from all across america and all across the globe. and every spring you graduate them back into the world, the boston that excels in every field of human endeavor. year after year you welcome the greatest talents in the arts, in science, research. you welcome them to your concert halls and your hospitals and your laboratories to exchange ideas and insights that draw

this world together. and every third monday in april you welcome people from all around the world, to the hub, for friendship and fellowship and healthy competition. a gathering of men and women of every race and every religion, every shape and every size. a multitudinous represented by all those flags that flew over the finish line. so whether folks come leer to boston for just a day or they stay here for years, they leave with a piece of this town tucked firmly into their hearts.

so boston's your hometown, but we claim it a little bit too. [ applause ] i know this. i know this because there's a piece of boston in me. you welcomed mow as a young law student across the river. welcomed michelle too. you welcomed me -- [ applause ] you welcomed me during a convention when i was still a state senator and very few people could pronounce my name right. like you, michelle and i have walked these streets. like you, we flknow these neighborhoods. and like you, in this moment of

grief, we join you in saying, boston, you're my home. for millions of us, what happened on monday is personal. it's personal. today our prayers are with the campbell family of medford. they're here today. their daughter krystle was always smiling. those who knew her said that with her red hair and her freckles and her ever eager willingness to speak her mind, she was beautiful, sometimes she'd be a little noisy, and everybody loved her for it. she would have turned 30 next month.

as her mother said through her tears, this doesn't make any sense. our prayers are with the lu family of china who sent their daughter to bu so she could experience all this city has to offer. she was a 23 year old student, far from home. and in her heartache of her family and friends on both sides of the ocean are reminded of the humanity that we all share. ouprayers are with the richard family of dorchester. to denise, and their young daughter jane as they fight to recover. and our hearts for 8 year old

martin with his big smile and bright eyes. his last hours were as perfect as an 8 year old boy could hope for, with his family, eating ice cream at a sporting event. and we're left with two enduring images of this little boy, forever smiling for his beloved bruins and forever expressing a wish he made on a blue poster board. no more hurting people. peace. no more hurting people. peace. our prayers are with the injured. so many wounded, some gravely. from their beds, some are surely watching us gather here today.

and if you are, know this. as you begin this long journey of recovery, your city is with you. your commonwealth is with you. your country is with you. we will all be with you as you learn to stand and walk and, yes, run again. of that i have no doubt, you will run again. [ applause ] you will run again, because that's what the people of boston are made of. your resolve is the greatest rebuke to whoever committed this heinous act. if they thought to intimidate us, to terrorize us, to shake us

from those values that deval just described, the values that make us who we are as americans, well, it should be pretty clear by now that they picked the wrong city to do it. [ applause ] not here in boston. [ applause ] not here in boston. [ applause ] you've shown us, boston, that in the face of evil americans will lift up what's good.

in the face of cruelty, we will choose compassion. in the face of those who would visit death upon innocents, we will choose to save and to comfort and to heal. we'll choose friendship. we'll choose love. the scripture teaches us god has not given us a spirit of fear and tim idity. but of power, love, and self discipline. and that's the spirit you've displayed in recent days. when doctors and nurses, police

and firefighters and emts and guards men run towards explosions to treat the wounded, that's discipline. when exhausted runners, including our troops and veterans who never expected to see such carnage on the streets back home become first responders themselves, tending to the injured, that's real power. when bostonians carried victims in their arms. deliver water and blankets, line up to give blood, open their homes to total strangers. give them rides back to reunite with their families. that's love. that's the message we send to those who carried this out and

anyone who would do harm to our people. yes, we will find you. and yes, you will face justice. we will find you. we will hold you accountable. but more than that, our fidelity to our way of life, who are free and open society will only grow stronger. for god has not given us the spirit of fear and timidity, but one of power and love and self-discipline.

like billi the man we saw get knocked down by the blast, we may be momentarily knocked off our feet, but we'll pick ourselves up. we'll keep going. we will finish the race. [ applause ] in the words of dick hoyt who pushed his son in 31 boston marathons, we can't let something like this stop us. this doesn't stop us. that's what you taught us. that's what you've reminded us. to push on.

to persevere, to not grow weary. to not get faint. even when it hurts, even when our heart aches, we summon the strength that maybe we didn't even know we had, and we carry on. we finish the race. [ applause ] we finish the race. we do that because of who we are, and we do that because we know that somewhere around the bend a stranger has a cup of water. around the bend, somebody's there to boost our spirits. on that toughest mile, just when we think that we've hit a wall, someone will be there to cheer us on and pick us up if we fall.

we know that. that's what the perpetrators of such senseless violence, these small, stunted individuals who would destroy instead of build and think somehow that makes them important, that's what they don't understand. our faith in each other, our love for each other, our love for country, our common creed that cuts across whatever super fission differences there may be, that is our power. that's our strength. that's why a bomb can't beat us. that's why we don't hunker down. that's why we don't cower in fear. we carry on.

we race. we strive. we work. we build, and we love, and we raise our kids to do the same. and we come together to celebrate life and to cheer our cities and clear for our teams when the sox or bruins are champions again. the crowds will gather and watch a parade go down boylston street. and this time next year on the third monday in april, the world will return to this great american city to run harder than ever and to cheer even louder for the 118th boston marathon. [ applause ]

bet on it!3 f2 por eso les digo. tomorrow the sun will rise over boston. tomorrow the sun will rise over the, this country that we love. this special place. this state of grace. scripture tells us to run with endurance the race that is set before us. as we do, may god hold close those who've been taken from us too soon. may he comfort their families. and may he continue to watch

over these united states of america. [ applause ] president obama performing a solemn duty he has had to perform so many times to comfort the grieving, to reassure the healing and convey the love and support of the nation. and he said every one of us in this country have been touched. but the spirit of the great american city is undauntsed. and he has the crowd on his feet. and he vowed that the crowd will once again return and enjoy on patriots' day next year. we want to catch up on the investigation into this hay tack. and we'll get to our justice correspondent. pete, what can you tell us? >> well, their afternoon, the

fbi will probably, most likely, release some of the pictures of the people that's interested to see to try to identify. they've isolated people that were in the crowd that they believe were acting suspiciously, carrying backpacks, carrying a duffle bag, setting them down near the bombing scenes. the problem is they don't know who they are. and their efforts so far to figure out the names of these people so that they can find them and question them have not been successful. unless they get a big break between now and the next couple of hours, they will begin to show some of these pictures and say give us your help again. help us identify these people. >> there's reporting out there that suggests they have a suspect in mind. is that in error? >> yes. no suspect at this point. certainly people they want to question. it's entirely possible that what they see in these pictures are deceiving. that these pictures are innocent. we've been told that they've looked at a flufl these pictures

already and there have been people they've risen and fallen, but they've narrowed it down two to two. let's turn to lester holt who has been watching this service along with us in boston. i should mention that as a part of this visit, president obama is expected to me with family members of those who have perished in this attack as well as survivors and first responders. >> reporter: yes, he's built in a little more time in his schedule in boston. and we do expect him to meet with survivors and families, whether that hall takes place here or he travels to another location we're not sure. about a thousand members of the general public were allowed into that service today. they lined up from very early in the morning on a cool morning here in boston. many didn't get in. some of them standing behind us today. many of them crowded around smartphones and tvs and radios

to hear what was going on inside. this has become a ritual of healing after tragedy, these services. but in thinking back in recent years. in most cases the perpetrators are either dead or in custody. but here in boston, people are not only grieving and hurt over what happened, they're also living with the uncertainty, not knowing if the people or person responsible are still in their midst. that adds one morel e of uncertainty and insecurity to a city that's going through this very, very difficult time. but there was some reaction. those who were watching this, we heard a few smattering of applause when the president talked about who ever did this picked the wrong city. he found the right words to bolster boston in that sense of returning and also bolstering americans everywhere about our freedom and our ability to celebrate events like the boston marathon and the many other

events that we'll all take part on in the summer. and it will be a much stronger race next year. and so many of the faith leaders assembled there to offer some measure of comfort in the face of this crushing grief. we will of course continue to have coverage of the bombings in boston as well as another major story we're covering, the explosion of the fertilizer plant in the town of west, texas. and we will see you on nightly news tonight.

good morning to you. i'm laura garcia-cannon. 9 oakland police hopes surveillance video will help them catch a suspected child molester who disguised himself as a maintenance worker to take advantage of a little girl. the man seen running in this video is believed to have attacked a 7-year-old girl last saturday. police say the man posed as a maintenance worker to get into an apartment. police say at some point he was alone in the room with the girl and began molesting her. commemorating the 107th anniversary of the 1906 earthquake in san francisco was deterred by a suspicious package. bomb squad forced organizers to move the event to union square. the scene around the site was cleared. another local news update for you in half an hour.

back now with more of "today" on this thursday morning, april 18th, 2013. inside studio 1a i'm willie geist along with al roker and natalie morales. and coming up in this half hour, we're going to check out a new plan that says you can slim down while fighting inflammation and disease. we're going to talk about the omni diet. also in today's real estate, how much is it worth? we'll play a little home pricing game and see if some properties

are worth -- if we think more than $400,000 or less than $400,000. and later on, we'll have some sunglasses for summer. jill martin's going to show us how to get the just right fit. so often you try them on and you think is this too big for my face? >> jill's got it figured out. but first, al has a look at the weather. we're looking at strong storms making their way through the midsections of the country. very strong storms from arkansas up into michigan. we've got some showers in the pacific northwest, plenty of sunshine, gorgeous day in l.a. today, sunny and 83, clear skies and along the southeastern atlantic coast. changes tomorrow, though, as that front makes its way to the east. rain from northern florida, up the east coast, into the ohio river valley. more rain in the pacific northwest. gorgeous day from texas on into the southwest and southern california again. 9:31 on a thursday morning. good morning. i'm meteorologist christina loren. we still have a little bit of a shake to our camera here but the

winds are really starting to drop off. gone from windy to breezy. and our bay, not quite as choppy as yesterday as a result. temperatures are warmer. hitting the 80s in livermore. 91 in gilroy. 77 for san jose. 70 degrees in the city by the bay, san francisco getting a rare treat. we'll keep on climbing. your temperatures are on the rise all the way through this upcoming weekend when we will hit the 90s. and now to eat smart today. a new plan to get you healthy while you drop some weight. the author of the omni diet, the revolutionary 70% plant plus 30% protein program to lose weight, reverse disease, fight inflammation and change your life forever. good morning to both of you. >> thank you. >> we should point out that, tana, you're not a registered dietitian, you're a nurse. and you obviously didn't have a lot of weight to lose. >> i did not have a lot of weight to lose, but i was ill. chronically ill as a child and

into my early adult years. and i had cancer that came back three times along with several other things. >> so what made you write the book? how did you come across -- come up with this omni diet. >> that's what motivated me. the tipping point was when i was given a laundry list of medications and i was taking medications to prevent the side effects of other medications. and i realized as a nurse that many of our patients were suffering from the same things. so a went on a health crusade and developed this program with some great mentors and a lot of research. >> what is it? >> it's as you described, the 70% plant, 30% protein. the quality of your calories matter so much more than the quantity. if you're eating the right foods, you get to eat a whole lot more, and if you do it more, i've got 126 recipes, they taste delicious. you know, great health is about abundance, never about deprivation. >> let's get into this. madeline, looking into this

diet, there's no dairy in this. where do you get your calcium? >> calcium is found in concentrated form in dairy products, but if you can't tolerate it or choose not to eat it, you can if you're following this plan eat a lot of dark green, leafy vegetables, but you have to eat a lot. because it takes about 7 cups of arugula or 3 cups of broccoli to equal the calcium in a glass of milk. you have to work on that. when you cut out one source, you've got to pick up the pace in the other areas. dark, leafy greens, other sources in colorful fruits and vegetables, especially. orange colored ones. that's a real issue you have to pay attention to. >> right, and i do recommend people eat a lot of greens. also, when you're optimizing vitamin "d" and exercising, you're going to optimize the intake of calcium. and one of the things i want to point out are the benefits people are getting. even though weight loss is a dramatic side effect, i call it a side effect. >> it's not a weight loss plan. >> no, but people are losing a lot of weight. that's where i'm getting the attention. >> in protein you've got red meat included, which you don't

see a lot in -- >> as long as it's high quality, grass fed, hormone free, antibiotic free. for me, it's the quality of the food you're eating. >> important with the protein, which is great. so many proteins in nature from plant kingdom, from animal kingdom. when you have red meat, think lean and smaller amounts of high quality meat can actually satisfy you more. >> we want to get to the five healthy habits saying people should do for two weeks. first one, drink fresh greens drinks twice a week. >> drink your vegetables because you actually absorb about 80% of it when they're broken down really small like in a blender or smoothie as opposed to when you chew them. >> what about the fiber? >> yeah, you're including the fiber. >> you've got the fiber? >> yeah, putting it in your smoothie. >> you're saying exercise one extra day each week. >> if you train yourself, today, i don't have time. you don't have time to not to. train yourself one extra day each week. >> find an accountability buddy. >> absolutely. one of the corner stones of my

program is community. so when people are accountable for someone and they've got support, that is huge for success. >> and then you want us to go into the sauna twice a week, why? >> not only is it great for you psychologically and emotionally and helps you to relax, it helps to detoxify. and green drink, sauna and exercise will help to break a plateau. >> do you take your accountability buddy into the sauna? >> i guess it depends on how much you like them. >> and finally, write down five things you're grateful for. >> when you start the day focusing on gratitude, it literally changes your brain chemistry and activates the part of your brain that is responsible for judgment, forethought and impulse control. >> all right. well, thank you so much. thanks for your input too. and still ahead, can you guess what it's worth? we're going to name that home price with barbara corker right after these messages. there are women who sacrifice so much. not giving a thought to their own satisfaction. like this woman here. hello!

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you can play along at home. barbara, good morning. look at the expensive props we have. >> good morning. >> higher or lower. >> and we're competitive. let's go. >> ready for that test. here it comes. this one's in memphis, tennessee. it's four bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, 3,400 square feet. >> okay. >> it is a brick house in the germantown section of memphis. i love the driveway on this. the interior has hardwood floors, built-in bookcases and palladium windows, and outback portion, what's wrong with that room? out back there's a huge sparkling pool that's included. is it over or is it under $400,000. >> i'm going to go higher. germantown's a good neighborhood. >> oh, you're dead wrong. >> see. >> it's $389,000. >> wow. >> spoke with authority even though i was wrong. >> next house, seattle, washington, it also has four bedrooms and 3 1/2 baths. it's 42 --

>> seattle. >> you said 4,200 square feet, right? >> yeah. >> let's look at the house. >> let's look at it. >> calm down. listen up. it's a 1904 bungalow, has hardwood floors in the living room, original windows still in place, large fireplace. i like the kitchen and fully updated with a six furnace stove and custom cabinets. is it over or under $400,000? too easy. >> how much is it? >> oh, i forgot to tell you the price, $999,000. >> that's just a little bit over. >> $1 million. >> that's quite a lot. >> this one's in dallas, texas, four bedrooms, three baths, 3,300 square feet. it's a traditional home on a beautiful landscaped lot. the large living room has gleaming and i mean gleaming wood floors and a full wall of windows overlooking the covered patio. and there's a resort-style pool area that includes extensive

decking and its own gazebo. is it over or under? >> come on, willie. >> you're all wrong, it's $375,000. >> i was right. that was going down. that's the way that works. >> keep the arrows on your laps. you don't want to be giving these things away. calm down. >> massachusetts, four bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, this is a pretty yellow home, popular color just down the street from pleasant bay with a populous sandy beach and boat access. >> cozy living room, hardwood floors and an exposed brick fireplace and a kitchen with granite counters and big center isle. is it under or over? you're all right again. >> okay. >> $815,000. >> we know our real estate. >> i've been doing this segment with you for too long. there's no way i wouldn't know this stuff. >> i'm going to fool you next time, al. >> we like that, though.

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show me what you got, jill. on "jill's must haves," sunglasses for every taste and face. jill martin is here with lots of options to help you pick summer's hottest accessory. jill, good morning. >> good morning. >> and it is the accessory. it's going to be like jewelry. before we talk about how to choose, let's talk about face shape. because it used to be a lot of people would say if i have an oval face, square face, round face, there are certain types that fit. >> well, obviously that holds true. if you have a round face, you want to pick something more square, more rectangle. and if you have a square face, you want something more round. you also want to pick on personality. you should have fun with sunglasses, like jewelry, accessory, like a clutch. four different trends coming in to summer and you can pick what you like.

>> these are not expensive and you say, actually, you should have more, right? >> you should have more. have fun with it. starting at $35 and up. there's something for everybody. cheers to summer, to sun. >> all right. >> let's start with the classic look. we've got classic sunglasses right here. >> okay. >> about as classic, everything from the tortoise shell to the shapes are very, you know, audrey hepburn like. >> you said tortoise shell, cat eyes. >> a subtle cat eye here. >> the green emerald, which is the color of the season, that's a way to dip into the classic shades. these are for work, your everyday glasses. what you're wearing out and if you're going to get one pair, you don't have one pair, i would go with classic. that sits in your bag. >> always have them. good for any occasion. next, trendy sunglasses. you have to be a bold person to wear trendy too, right? >> i think we have jessica alba wearing her trendy glasses. >> i don't love these on you, but if you look at the detail here. here's jessica alba.

>> playful statement, color blocking, that's huge in fashion. you see a lot of the color blocking, quirky details, geometric frames. this is another way to make your outfit pop. instead of wearing chandelier earrings or a great clutch, maybe you go with these sunglasses if you want to impress. do not use a mirror that's sort of close up if you're in a bathroom. use a full-length mirror so it's part of your outfit to see if it really works. this sort of trendy frame -- >> makes a statement. >> and you could go over the top if you don't do it right. >> right. next, glam sunglasses. now here also we're seeing a lot of embellishments to the sunglasses. >> here's for you. >> very embellished. >> cat eye. >> right. and nicole ritchie, we have a picture of her wearing them. and these are obviously -- she has a little face but wears these bigger frames. it's drama. >> you can do that if that's what you're going for. >> that goes against that face

shape we used to -- >> i would never pick something like that for me or something like this. it's very big and square. >> that is very big and square for you. >> that's too big, but you sort of see -- >> i'm like a bug. >> see these oversized frames, sparkling studs, embellishments, if you're going to a night affair, but if you're going to sort of a dressier affair that's sort of at dusk, i love this. >> you don't wear your sunglasses at night? >> i wish i had the kind of life where i wear my sunglasses at night. >> okay. >> i was about to and caught myself. al said don't sing. next, cool sunglasses. we need the cool dudes to come out for us. >> so this is the modern by the sleek shapes. i feel like maybe these would look fantastic on you. >> they look like plastic. >> and you said you have a big head. >> i do. >> i thought maybe those would look good on you. >> giant head. >> you seem -- for al.

these are the ray bands, the aviators. there's a lot of memory metals for men here. sort of like whip back into shape if you throw them in your bag. but this is, again, another way to -- >> whoa. >> you know what -- these might be better. >> good. >> no. >> nice try, martin. >> these would work for you. >> oh, perfect. >> so, really, the purpose here is to say that you should have these four looks going so you could put them with any outfit. >> right. >> and you're really prepared for summer. and these tortoise would go very well. >> reflective deal, right? you said reflective is big? >> i think these are good for a friend because your friend could check themselves out. or your wife could check herself out. so that's good. multiple purposes. >> thanks as always. and we'll be back in a moment.

and coming up tomorrow, we have frugal friday. going to show us some affordable flats for spring. >> and up next, kathie lee and hoda catching up with smokey robinson. plus, family get aways on a budget and getting a wine workout. >> don't they always work out with wine?

9:56 now. good morning. i'm marla tellez. the attorney for the family of 15-year-old audrey pott is speaking out against the los gatos saratoga high school district. the superintendent released a statement yesterday after saying the three suspects could not be expelled from saratoga high because the alleged assault did not take place on school grounds. but late last night, the pott family attorney responded arguing at least one photo of the alleged attack was distributed at school to intentionally harass audrey. he also says the district denying that audrey was ever bullied is, quote, greatly upsetting to us. meteorologist christina loren checking our thursday forecast now. >> we have a warm afternoon shaping up, 80s inland

translates to great beach weather. 65 in pacifica. winds have dramatically decreased. a lot more comfortable out there right by the water. 69 for half moon bay. and the warmest beach city will be santa cruz at 92. throughout the day, inland cities are mostly going to touch on the low 80s. 80 in livermore. by tomorrow, even warmer. then we hit if low 90s getting into monday of next week. feeling like summer a little early. >> we'll take you right to the map and show you the south bay. we still have your northbound routes with some slowing, red across 280 northbound at 880 in the middle of your screen. 101 at the top of your screen and 85 at the bottom of your screen. if you're going east to west, that's where the issue is, northbound on those freeways. southbound coming through fremont. traffic just starting to thin out approaching mission. oakland on the northbound side slows from the coliseum up toward downtown. cloe close to the 50s. the metering lines are backed p

up. >> our next local news update is at 10:26. see you then.

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today," with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. live, from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. hello, everybody, it is april 18th, 2013. another day, we wake up to some more bad news around the country. this time, west, texas. >> i turned on the tv this morning, he guess it happened

last night around 8:00. first you know when you have one of those moments like, are you kidding me? what is this? this is such a small town, west, texas, 2800 people live there. and the fertilizer plant is the biggest thing. >> i'm sure the main industry of the whole community. >> it's a farming town and they use the fertilizer to grow plants and grow crops. >> north of waco. >> yes. and something sparked a fire and an explosion and there was a reporter who was 60 miles from there, who said he felt it. >> if had been on the richter scale, it would have been, what did they say? >> 2.2. >> as you can imagine with that kind of devastation, in one of the news conferences they said buildings were leveled, they're still trying to account for people. they know between five and 15 people have died. and the number of injuries is over you know, over 100 and actually they've been looking for some firefighters, between three and five firefighters.

>> crews are going door to door and i think it's going to be one of those situations where definitely the deceased count will rise, it's so close to there, right? you know, that stuff is lethal. fertilizer, anyway. and they were talking about five people -- >> scary when you hear this, the footage. and it actually -- it hit a, an apartment complex and a nursing home. >> that's what i heard, is that they got everybody out of the nursing hoemt. are you confirming that? >> i didn't see that i don't know if they accounted for everyone. i guess they did. >> we can certainly pray that it's true, you know. the helplessness in that, you know. my mom is watching right now, your mom is enjoying her birthday. but my mom is an assisted living place and everybody in those facilities are in a different stage of their life. some are still able to walk on

their own. others have canes and others in wheelchairs. talk about vulnerable. >> after the boston thing, no matter what happens, your first reaction, is somebody blew this up. they haven't figured out whether it was an accident or not. they call it crime scene, but they say they do that so they can investigate everything. >> yeah. so boston, they're trying to update, again the question is, who did it and why. and yesterday, there was some could be fusion. >> as there always is on a breaking story. as we've talked about before, everybody is so anxious to get the story first and get it out there that very often first is not always accurate. so kudos to our guy, though, huh? >> pete williams, i have to tell you, i don't think there's anyone smarter than pete williams. when he speaks, you know how you feel like you get a clear, measured picture. i just really like him.

there were a lot of people releasing photos this morning of a couple of people that, that they thought the cops were looking at or looking for. >> or acted suspiciously right before the bomb, the second bomb went off. a picture of two men. >> yeah. >> that has not been, that has been discounted now, right? >> he just says they have some people that they're looking at, they're not the two that maybe some of you have seen in the newspapers. we're waiting to find out if in fact there is someone identified in one of the photos that the fbi or the police have. >> what's your gut feeling on this, hoda? >> i don't know. when something is international, usually you hear someone beating their chest saying, we did it. >> we're not supposed to say take credit for it. but in their mind, take responsibility for that. >> the best of human nature always comes out in these horrible situations. last night at the bruins game, it was the first kind of big public sporting event since the explosion. and check out what happened. it started off with a singer

singing the national anthem. take a listen. ♪ o say can you see ♪ by the dawn's early light ♪ what so proudly we hailed ♪ at the twilight's last gleaming ♪ ♪ whose broad stripes and bright stars ♪ ♪ through the perilous fight ♪ oe everyone the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ were so gallantly streaming ♪ and the rocket's red glare ♪ the bombs bursting in air ♪ gave proof through the night

♪ that our flag was still there ♪ >> darn, i would have liked to have heard them hit the high note. that's very moving. i love to watch people take off their hats when they're singing. it's just out of respect. and that's the best, that's what we're all facing right now. how do we continue to move on. how do we not let terrorism win by continuing with our lives as planned. and not letting them steal the joy we have in our freedom. but at the same time paying great respect to what has been lost and hopefully we learn something from it. it was a strange day for us to go yesterday to see -- tom hanks who is such -- we all, who doesn't like tom hanks, you know? he's in a show at the broadhurst called "lucky guy" written by no nora ephron, a wonderful,

wonderful talented woman. the show is a limited run. he plays a legendary newsman named mike mcilhery. it's a testament to tom's ability. because the lead character as written in the play was a pretty self-absorbed, kind of a jerk and so ambitious that he broke a lot of promises, he said he would keep secrets and he didn't keep. who knows how much of it is totally accurate. you've been a reporter for a long, long time and you certainly saw this. >> i was into it. it's so cool, it's kind of a little about the tabloid wars and the lengths you'll go to get the story and stick by it. it's a great, great, great show. >> amazing ensemble cast. laura tierney plays his wife and peter scolari is in it and courtney vance, a fantastic

actress. and you're looking at people going, oh, i know you, i know you. you can tell he surrounded himself by people that he likes very much that are also very talented. it's there for a short, it closes on june 16th so see it now, if you can. >> we had a nice little lunch prior to that with some people who work across the street at sardi's. >> is that the moving heads? >> that's a motley crew. the reason that we're all bobbleheads is that the people you see are all the people who work a little bit behind the scenes. some work with the cartoons and making sure that bambino shows up on time. jim, bill, amy and william, we had a great time. >> and as i said, when they first walked in the room, we worked with them for years and never really met them. so thank you so much for what you do. then after a long lunch we

realized, you're responsible for that. so when we said thank you at the end of the lunch, we meant it. >> guess who is being with us today? >> smoky robinson. >> there he is! and smoky is still smokin'! he does not age. >> he's amazing, he's featured prominently in the new musical a huge hit on broadway called " w "moto "motown: the musical." >> my favorite part, can't we go to commercial? >> no, how can we not have a nice thursday with a little bit of nelly? >> i tell you how you could. >> the song is "ride wit me."

>> how about riding next to vanna white. that's a great lyric. come on. >> how many people just flat-out time for me to retire. it really is. >> can i give a shout-out to a wonderful guy right there. his name is david, he came to watch our show, he made jewelry and you know who wore his jewelry when she was anchoring "the today show" many, many years ago? >> who?

>> jane pauley, part of our family. we got to go, is it okay or not okay. to paint on your baby bump? that's the question. >> whatever floats your bump. >> nice, klg. >> hur, it's okay, as long as you don't mind even more attention than the bump's already bringing, you know what i'm saying. >> what are you saying? >> you know exactly what i'm saying. >> i'm in love with her. >> we need to have a new contest. >> we do? >> this is a reminder about the most deserving mom contest. you, the most deserving mom can win a dream vacation, sail anywhere in the world on a norwegian cruise line of her choice, go online to klgandhoda.com. you have until tuesday april 30th. so get there now. >> nominate yourself, if you want. >> if you'd like.

>> our breast milk jewelry. >> one of the greatest legends of motown. very soulful, very sweet. smoky robinson. >> he's kind of a hero in this musical. >> he was there from the very beginning. >> love smoky. and two ladies from our plaza are getting smoking new looks. we'll have our ambush makeover coming up. ♪

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♪ i woke up to a new day ♪ every little thing gonna go my way ♪ ♪ i woke up to a light bulb on ♪ every little thing is possible now ♪ [ female announcer ] kraft added a touch of philadelphia cream cheese to our natural shredded cheese so you can bring a creamier melt to any morning. ♪ life is amazing with the love that i've found ♪ ♪ i think it was bob dylan who called this gentleman america's greatest living poet. grammy singer-songwriter smoky robinson is an icon of motown, with over 4,000 songs to his credit and a 50-year career. >> he first rose to fame in a group he formed in high school, the miracles with the song "shop around."

♪ >> he's portrayed in this great new broadway show, musical called "motown: the musical." >> i know you can rap. you got down on nelly. >> doing a 50-year career, are you now rapping? please tell me no. >> i'll tell you no. >> are you roapping these days? >> are you kidding? >> we were there on opening night, such a thrill and such fun. >> what a combination of people in that audience. people, actors and actresses play you on stage. >> we kept thinking, what are they thinking. when you were watching the show unfold in front of you, what were you thinking? >> i was looking at it thinking, this is about my life and about what has gone on in my life and i'm looking at it, being flashback and all that.

and it's barry gordy's life. >> it's a huge cast, too. >> let me ask you, i didn't realize, because we all know about the success of motown. what you really learn is how it all really began. you were in the room at the very beginning of it. so many people got their success because of barry. you never left him. you're one of the few that stayed with him from day one and didn't go away. >> he really is my best friend, so i wasn't going anywhere. >> they all claimed to love him. but they all left and you didn't. >> they do love him. we all love each other. and the beauty of this is, is that when you, if you're there on opening night, you saw what's left of the motown family. all of us are still alive. we still have the motown family. we all love each other. >> it's like any family, there are skirmishes. >> absolutely. >> but they can't take a good

family down. >> the play is doing great. broken all box office records from broadway, you know. and you know, sold out until november. >> watching the crowd react instantly. you heard this song, any song and the crowd instantly felt it. when you heard someone else singing your songs, did it feel -- >> it felt good. it always feels good. as a songwriter, i want people to sing it. i hope people sing it from now on and when they do it object broadway, you get paid for it. everybodiry time on that stage, baby. >> the guy who played you? how did he, did he study you? >> yes. he's doing a great job. i got to know him, know his family. he's a wonderful young man. >> did he imitate your voice and do all of those things? is that how he speaks? >> he speaks pretty much like that. >> pitched more than that he

speaks very much like that. >> your voice doesn't sound ravaged like so many people we know. smoke and drinking scotch for 50 years. what do you do? if you feel smoky's arm right now. >> and look at your face, you haven't aged at all. >> i love you. >> she's available. >> let me ask you something, how do you do it? you're on the road still, what, over 200 gigs a year, right? >> you have to take care of yourself. it comes a point in your life, i tell people all the time, when you're 20, your arm is really killing you, your arm is all messed up. you wake up, your arm is fine. when you're 40, you go to bed and you're tired. you wake up and your arm is hurting. >> what about "shop around" is that one of your favorites? >> i don't know what my favorites are. all the songs, the one of the

great things about the play is that when a person comes to see the play, they're seeing two hours and 40 minutes of hits. and there wasn't room, there wasn't nearly room for all the hits. you know. >> so -- you know, i'm very proud of what we accomplished. >> well, you should be. >> after seeing the story, we can really say, it's nice to see the nice guys do finish first. because you're the hero of this music musical. you're the real friend, you're the guy that never blinked. and we -- we got to go. you can't say anything. >> okay. i was going to say, he never blinked on me, either. there you go. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ go! go olive garden's new buy one, take one. go for dinner tonight and take home a second entrée for later. all for just $12.95.

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videos that can puts a smile on your face. >> we've got a cat that really doesn't want to take a bath. >> tigger the cat seems to be saying no every time his owner puts him near the water. >> she said he really needed a bath. >> like really needed a bath. >> is that a baby? >> no, that's the cat saying no. he's very vocal. >> what don't you understand about no? >> normally she wouldn't give him a bath. but she said he really needed the bath. he must have rubbed in stuff. >> you get like -- if you've got an animal that's rubbed in something, you will bathe them. it's got 900,000 hits. tig certificager has more bark .

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good morning to you, it is 10:26. i'm marla tellez. the man suspected of kidnapping --

♪ ♪ welcome back to "today" on this thirst-day thursday, time for our ambush plaza makeovers. >> working their hair, wardrobe and makeup magic, "today" contributor and stylist to the stars -- ♪ louis liccari ♪ la la la la la >> and "today" contributing editor and "people "style watch.

>> we had so many people to pick from, it was a snap. >> they were from all over the world, weren't they? >> literally all over the world? >> why don't we start off with lotta, visiting from denmark. and she said her husband usually cuts her hair in the garden. >> i love that. >> so she wanted a glam new look. >> let's listen to her story. >> well this is a big surprise. because you've never even heard of this, but you want it for your mom. tell me why. >> she never do anything with her hair and she never try on makeup. so i really want this chance for her. this is so incredible. >> you've never used makeup? >> no, never. >> and i heard you actually cut her hair? >> yeah i will pull together and cut it off. >> put it in a pony tail and cut it off? >> i think we might do something a little different. >> are you ready for all of

this? >> yeah! >> it's exciting. >> there's potential for change. >> i like it. bent is the husband with the shears in the back. donna and tinka. let's take one last look at lotta before and now here she is -- >> wow. >> okay, you guys, ready? >> drop your blindfolds. >> wow, oh my gosh. >> are you ready? >> turn and look right here. >> wow! >> it's me? >> turn around and look over there. whoa! wow, which is an optical illusion. >> look at bent.

bent he's beat red. >> is it a 10? >> yes, i just lightened her hair a little bit. which showed off her true personality. as the makeover went on, this woman popped out. >> bent, what do you think? >> i don't know, it's beautiful, very beautiful. >> wow. >> that dress is perfect. >> first time -- from london times, first time wearing a dress, first time in heels. you're doing a great job. >> a big round of applause for lotta.

>> and now 58 from north dakota, her daughter is getting married this weekend. so she was thrilled at the chance to update herself for the big event. let's listen to her story, wow. >> well, dena is going to flip out. >> yes, she is. >> gina's wedding is this weekend, your older sister, what do you think of all this for mom? >> it's great, she totally deserves it and dena is going to love it. >> you're going to have a whole new look in front of all your family and friends what are you looking for for the big weekend? >> my two girls are beautiful. so i'm hoping to have a little glam re-do, so i can have a wonderful weekend with my girls. >> mother of the bride, we're going to glam you up. >> thank you very much, this will be just great, thank you. >> and sonia is here with the sister of the bride as well. let's take one last look at sonia before and let's see the brand new, ready for the wedding sonia. >> oh, my gosh. >> wow.

>> you couldn't wait. why don't you turn and and see what you're looking at. >> oh, my gosh. >> that's beautiful. >> beautiful. just gorgeous, gorgeous. >> all right, louis. >> mother of the bride, you look so gorgeous. >> right there. >> right in the camera. >> her hair color was a little bit, too many stresses, the hair color looks a little more natural, i softened it up. we did a great, refined bob, she's incredibly chic and then of course to be glamorous for everybody, why not go with the makeup. glamour. >> what are you thinking? >> she looks glamorous. >> she looks pretty. >> what does your sister think of her? >> she's going to love it. >> jill, is she going to wear that to the wedding? >> the rehearsal dinner. >> the peplum with the lace over from london times. and the jewelry.

>> awesome. >> we have another little makeover today that we have, it's five years in the waiting for me, i don't know how long for you. >> this is jimmy has had long hair for 37 years since he got out of the navy he never cut his hair, we begged him. >> he's a mountain man, we love him. >> he went to see arsen for a trim. for a trim. and look what he did. >> jimmy! >> oh, my gosh. >> let's -- oh my gosh! >> how do you feel about it? >> i feel all right. is goes a little better with my wardrobe. >> your friends are shocked. >> are you going to grow it out again or keep it short? >> i'm probably too old to grow it out any more.

>> never too old. >> yeah. >> jimmy, have we ever told you how much we love you? >> yes. >> one of the nicest people ever put on the planet. a cameraman here. >> he's among the greatest. >> big round of applause for jimmy. >> thanks. >> time to start -- >> where's jimmy going? >> from california to maine, great getaways on a budget, right after this. . .

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i love you, angie. sorry, honey. ♪ life is a highway i wanna ride it ♪ >> in today's travel, affordable getaways, you may have just returned from a spring break trip but it's time to start booking for summertime to get the best deals. >> from the great outdoors to the windy city, there's something for everybody on a budget. happy to see you. >> hey, girl. take us to the northeast. let's begin there. >> the first if you grew up going to sleepaway camp like i did, you know how great it is to be in the outdoors, have your day packed with activities and you can do that and more with the kids with the maine camp experience. it's 31 camps. you bring your kids. it's $65 per person per night, that includes activities and meals. you can do water skiing, lobster

bake, arts and crafts. >> for the whole family? >> exactly. >> that would be a great experience for families where the kids aren't quite ready to go off by themselves. >> the best part is you can totally unplug, no electronics allowed. great bounding time. >> which might be tougher for mom and dad. >> to the west coast. >> if you're looking for the northeast, actually are we going to do carlsbad right now? >> sure. carlsbad, california. >> west coast. >> an amusement park, and the beach, legoland and there's great beaches because you're just north of san diego. >> washington state's another good spot. >> the san juan islands. >> they're gorgeous. >> they know it's a favorite. rosario resort, whale watching, comb the beaches. there's sand castles. >> look how beautiful that is. >> they have a museum that dates

back to the early 1900s. rates are about $119 through june, their high season. they open up before memorial day. you have an entire month to experience that. >> how beautiful is that. >> can i say $119 again? >> yes. you may say it, sara. >> big cedar lodge in the midwest. >> big cedar lodge is in the ozark, missouri. >> just outside branson. >> i stayed there. fantastic! >> so easy to get to, flight from l.a., denver, chicago. >> so much to do. >> less than $150 a night. actually less than $200 a night i should say. 80 log cabins. there are all sorts of activities, there's tennis, spa and fishing. >> it goes on for acres and acres, too. >> it's 180 acres. you're exactly right. >> of course she knew. >> you can go and visit the "titanic" in branson. >> you're quite well traveled. >> i know. >> chicago. >> the windy city, a great city for kids. the hilton chicago you san stay

for $159 a night. tulips are blooming. there's baseball, the aquarium. kids eat free at the in-house restaurant with a parent. another way to save money. >> thank you, darling. coming up, fast food for busy families. >> healthy weeknight dinners. that's right. you heard us, right after this. there are women who sacrifice so much. not giving a thought to their own satisfaction. like this woman here. hello! what's your name? linda. linda obviously sacrificed a good haircut so that her daughter could have a warm coat. it's windy. yeah. now you can help people like linda stop with the sacrificing. tell them about light & fit greek nonfat yogurt twice the protein and 80 calories. thick... creamy. taste satisfying, right? eat! light and fit greek! ♪ dannon! body washes with paper that reacts like skin. if others can strip this paper, imagine how harsh they can be to your skin. oh my gosh.

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now discover caramel apple filled werther's original.

in today's kitchen, what's cooking? meals in minutes. looking for fast, healthy dinners your kids will like. >> registered dietician francis roth has new ideas, a contributor to "cooking light" magazine. >> it looks delicious. >> this is panko-crusted cod, we're going to put a little tomato and basil relish on top. >> what did you encrust that in? >> panko, japanese bread crumbs, they get a little bit crunchier

than regular bread crumbs. >> and that's what the tomato little bit you put on top? >> basically what you see, vidalia onions, grape tomatoes and basil. so it gives the little hint, flavor of summer before summer is here. >> that's 254 calories. >> 40 meals in 40 minutes issue. >> should we have chicken? >> yes. >> you know what, i'm going to direct you over here, that's the chorizo confetti that goes on top of the pan-grilled chicken. chorizo is a pork sausage. we went for uncured, because of less sodium. your kids are going to love all of these. >> i'm going to wait for the next one. >> it's a voting issue. >> okay. this is the spring vegetable

pizza. with gremolata on top. >> it's a little garnish. parsley and lemon rind and garlic. and -- >> it kind of plump it is up. >> and asparagus, peas, fennel. >> you take the dough and then, do you put cheese on it or how do you do it? >> it is a mixture of pecorina, skim milk and ricotta. we've rolled it really fin it gives you fewer calories and makes it crunchier. >> when do you add the veggies. you bake it for five minutes with the cheese, take it out. add the veggies, bake it for five more minutes at 500 degrees. >> very good. >> this is hamburger steak. have you ever had that? >> i grew up on this. >> the difference is that you serve it like a steak as opposed

to serving it like a burger. we used ground sirloin. >> what kind of steak? >> salisbury steak. >> this is obviously a family favorite and so fast, only six ingredients. delicious. we're serving it with our grapefruit walnut and feta salad which can go with any of these, and it would still be under 40 minutes. >> that's delicious. >> what's the seasoning in that? >> that's the flavor from the vidalia onion. you cook it with flour so it gets thick like a gravy. half the sodium of a regular gravy. >> all recipes are on our website. >> i know what's coming up -- >> bottom's up and bottles up. >> this is ridiculous. >> this is "today" on nbc.

♪ on "get fit with kathie lee and hoda" we have reached a new

mer-low. merlot. a wine workout. today we're combining business and pleasure with a new exercise that combines our love of a certain beverage were a workout. >> this was not our idea. >> adam ravante is a celebrity fitness trainer and founder of people's boot camp here in new york city. he knew how to get on our show. >> he knew how to sell it. >> is this a real thing or did you make this up for us? >> here's the point. >> what is the point? >> what is the point, get off my show. it can be really hard to find your motivation to work out sometimes, right? >> yeah. >> anything can you do to make the workout more fun, more accessible. >> this is making it more dangerous. >> we have plastic mats there. >> come on. >> roll up and let's get into it. anything you can do to make it more fun, more accessible, you'll be more likely to do it.

we incorporated wine. the first exercise we're going to do, we're going to do cheer-ups, i even have cute names. >> so we're at -- >> good for you, these, we're going to start at the top of a push-up position, you can do them on your knees, get the wrist right below the shoulder we're going to perform a push-up and at the top of the motion we're going to pick up a glass and raise it up to shoulder level. >> don't drink it, hoda. >> what kind of point is that. >> pick it up with your left hand. >> shoulder level and cheers. >> so you're working your chest your shoulders, really all i've worked here was my sense of restraint. >> we worked our sense of humor. >> that's legit. that's a push up with a shoulder raise, that's not easy. >> another exercise, cork screws and use a bottle of wine.

pick your poison. >> are they glass? >> they are glass. >> can you do a magnum or a regular size. >> you guys are in awesome shape. so a magnum is about seven pounds, you'll only want one. get into a low squat back to back. >> i've got heels on. here we go. turn it to one side, pass it to november. so we're twisting and twisting. working the obliques. there's a bonus to this. this twisting motion rings out your liver, so you're getting a little detox before you retox. >> if we were doing this for real -- >> i'm feeling the bush. >> i would represent doing all of these back to back for 30 seconds. >> take us to the final. >> so the next exercise we're going to do wine bottle woodchoppers. everybody grab a bottle. >> we have 30 seconds.

>> 30 seconds 'til it's over? >> over. >> competition final move, slashy sprinters. pick up these wine glasses, sprint in place for 15 seconds, as fast as you can, judging you on form, speed, whether you spill any got those we are fg

news stories in our nation at this hour. president obama lends his support to boston as that city holds on interfaith service following the boston marathon bombings. and in the small town of west, texas, the search is on for survivors from that fertilizer plant explosion. good morning. i'm marla tellez. jon kelley is off this morning.

that right there is that amazing video from after the blast. the explosion occurred as firefighters were responding to an initial fire at the plant. the blast extended into the community leveling homes and an apartment building. nbc bay area's chris sidegi as the latest on this breaking news. >> reporter: daylight revealed a massive amount of devastation from what started as a fire at a fertilizer plant that soon erupted into an explosive inferno. >> are you okay? >> i can't hear. >> reporter: this cell phone video caught the explosion as it happened. >> the windows came in on me, the roof came in on me. the ceiling came in. i worked my way out to go get some more help. >> massive, just lik iraq, just like the murrah building. >> reporter: the blast so strong, it extended out into the

community that surrounds the plant. rescuers are combing the rubble searching for victims. >> there is a significant area around the fertilizer plant that has been destroyed. homes have been destroyed. there are homes flattened. part of that community is gone. >> reporter: several firefighters battling the initial blaze were caught up in the blast and are now missing. the blast destroyed a four-block area around the plant that included 50 to 75 homes and an apartment complex and nursing home, which is being evacuated. >> west has been rocked to the core. i hope that one day my town can be back to normal. >> reporter: west, texas, is a small town of about 2,800 people where residents describe the community as family. no word yet on what started the initial fire. nothing indicates the fire was intentionally set but they're not ruling that out. the elitepo